The LDS Church has power in spite of its leaders, not because of them
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. More commonly known as Mormons, though we try not to use that term (for sound doctrinal reasons). However, I haven't actively engaged with the church in a few years. I've attended church meetings here and there in support of family members. I recently attended the baptism of one of my nieces and had a realization. That is the subject of my blog.
I do not write this to attack or persecute any members of the church. But I will be quite critical of church leadership. If you're a church member and reading this will upset you, I will not be offended if you don't read any further.
I also don't write this to preach to, proselytize to, or convert anyone.
I'm really writing this as an attempt to grapple with my own thoughts and feelings.
Criticism of church leaders
Why don't I actively participate in church? To use LDS terminology, I cannot sustain the leaders of the church at this time. I cannot support them. It is very difficult to participate in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints and be critical of the brethren (our shorthand for church leadership). I have many criticisms, but I'm going to outline three.
Homosexuality
First and foremost, I do not believe that homosexuality is a sin. I believe that, one day, a President of the church will pray and ask God if homosexuality is actually a sin. The answer given will be no. At that point, gay members will be able to marry each other and participate in the church without any negative consequence whatsoever. They may even be permitted temple marriage, but I wouldn't swear to that. Why is that not church policy now?
Because revelation isn't given until it is sought. The church did not permit black men to hold the Priesthood for a century because Brigham Young was a racist. The church's own historians can find zero evidence that the policy against giving black men the Priesthood originated in revelation from God. After a century, a church President (Spencer W. Kimball) prayed and asked if that was actually a correct doctrine. The answer was no. One day, I believe this will happen with homosexuality.
Unwillingness to repent
When I was child, I was taught about repentance. I was taught there there are essentially 3 steps to repentance. First, you admit that you did something wrong. Second, you say you're sorry (and make restitution if possible). Third, you don't do it again. All 3 steps are important. If you skip any of these steps, you haven't truly repented.
And yet, President Dallin H. Oaks told the Salt Lake Tribune that the church doesn't apologize. Said he:
“I’m not aware that the word ‘apology’ appears anywhere in the scriptures — Bible or Book of Mormon. The word ‘apology’ contains a lot of connotations in it, and a lot of significance.”
Why was I taught that apologizing is a key part of repentance? I've been taught this my whole life. However, the church as an organization will rarely apologize for anything. Even something as egregious and harmful as the aforementioned policy forbidding black men from holding the Priesthood.
Tithing
Through a series of powerful investments, the church now has over 180 billion dollars. This is an incomprehensible amount of money.
To be clear, I don't think the brethren ever intended to grow the church's coffers to such a degree. I genuinely believe they wanted to be wise stewards of tithing funds. So they invested excess fund to help them grow rather than stagnate. Jesus Himself taught us not to simply bury our money. But now the church finds itself in a precarious position of having unimaginable wealth. What to do?
The obvious answer is to spend it on charitable activities. The church does huge amounts of this. They spent over 1 billion in 2022 on charitable activities. Nothing to sneeze at! But compared to the over 180 billion that continues to grow... 1 billion is a paltry sum.
Why is this? Why doesn't the church spend more? It comes from a place of good. Church policy is not to spend more than they bring in via tithing. Best estimates indicate that the church brings in about 7 billion dollars in tithing annually and spends around 6 billion. Estimates are all we have, as the church's internal finances are entirely opaque. So... what does that mean for the 180 billion?
Well, the church itself teaches its members to have a year supply of food storage. Be prepared to feed your family for 1 year even if you lost all income. If the church followed this policy, it would hold 6 billion in savings for a rainy day. Seems reasonable. That's nowhere near 180 billion, however.
But let's be more generous. Let's get biblical. In the Holy Bible, in Genesis Chapter 41, the Pharaoh has dreams that haunt him. The prophet Joseph interprets these dreams. He says that God is sending a warning to the Pharaoh. Egypt will experience 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. Joseph advises a food storage program in which Egypt stores enough food to endure the 7 years of famine.
If the church were to prepare for 7 years of famine, that would result in keeping 42 billion dollars in savings. A colossal fund. And yet.... that's less than 1/4 of the money they have available via investments.
The brethren need to accept the reality that the church's investment fund has ballooned out of proportion. The excess funds must be spent, and charitably so.
What about the title of this very blog?
I've ranted enough of my criticism. What does this have to do with the title of the blog or my nieces baptism?
As I attended her baptism, I felt wonderful. I felt the influence and presence of the Holy Ghost. How do I square that with my knowledge that the brethren are not acting in accordance with the Gospel?
It's simple. The church itself has great power in spite of its leadership, not because of it. The church has power because of the faith, hope, and charity of its membership.
I'm not claiming that any member of the church is perfect. Heaven knows that I myself am not perfect. But broadly speaking, members of the church are decent, modest, well-meaning people. They want to love and serve others. They want to gather together to share and give and receive in common. They want to exercise their faith and be good people. This is where the power of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints resides. It lives in the actions and faith of the people. This reality exists in spite of the current failings of church leadership.
I want to be clear to any church member reading this. I do not criticize the brethren lightly. I know that to many I write blasphemy and heresy. Despite my claim to not persecute any members of the church, this blog may indeed feel like an attack. I apologize for that. But know this: I didn't come to my criticisms of church leadership overnight.
I wrestled and grappled with these issues (particularly the teachings that homosexuality is a sin) for many months. I searched, pondered, and prayed. I begged God for understanding. And I was given an answer. Just as I have always been taught to do.
What's your point?
Again, this is mostly my own effort to deal with my inner conflict and turmoil. I wish I could actively participate in church. I miss many things about it. But I cannot sustain the brethren at this time. Maybe that will change one day, but maybe it won't.
If you are an active church member, I actually want this to be a comfort to you. I want you to look around at your brothers and sisters every Sunday. See how they live, love, and serve. See their dedication and devotion. Revel in their faith, hope, and charity. Support them in their efforts. Continue to develop these attributes within yourself. Enjoy your faith in Jesus Christ. But don't have faith because the brethren told you to. Have faith because it's what you believe.